The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-29

before many-tongued rumor had voiced the
news far and wide. The blow was a heavy
one to the party left in possession Saddled
by the enormous debts and expenses of the
Great Capitalist, with a credit further injured
by the detection of this lucky magnate, who
was admired for his skill in anticipating a
loss, and whose REIMBURSEMENT Of any project
meant ruin to it, the single handed, impover-
ished possessor of the mine, whose title was
contested and whose reputation was yet to be
made-poor Biggs, first secretary and only
remaining officer OF the @Blue Mass COM
pany,- looked ruefully over his books and
his last transfer, and sighed But have be-
fore intirnased that he was built of good stuff
and that he believed in his work-which was
well-and in himself, which was better; and
SO, having faith even as a grain of mustard
seed, 1 doubt not that he would have been
able to- remove that mountain of quicksilver
beyond the overlapping of fraudulent grants
And, again, Notwithstanding disposed of
these several scamps-raised up 10 him a
friend But that friend is of sufficient i'm
portance to this veracious history to deserve
paragraph TO himself.
The Pylades of this Orestes was known Of
ordinary mortals as Royal Thatcher His
genealogy, birth and education are, take it,
of little account to this chronicle, which Is
only concerned with his friendship for Biggs
and the result thereof. He had known Biggs
a year or two previously; they had shared
each others purses, hunks, cabins, provisions,
and often friends, with that perfect freedom
from obligation which belonged TO the pioneer
life. The varying tide of fortune had just
in San Francisco with an uninsured cargo of
expectations, while to Thatchers active but
not curious fancy it had apparently lifted his
friends bark over the bar in the Monterey
mountains into AN open quicksilver sea So
that he was considerably surprised on receiv-
ing note from BiSgs to this purport:
"DEAR Roy: Run down here AMI help o
fellow. I've too much of a load for one.
Maybe we can make IA team ami pun Blue
Mass out yet. BIGGSEY.r
Thatcher, sitting in his scantily furnished
lodgings, doubtful of his next meal and in
arrears for rent, heard this Macedonian cry
as st. Paul did. He wrote promissory and
soothing note to his land!ady, but fearing the
'sweet sorrow" of personal parting, let his
collapsed valise down from his window by a
cord, and, by means of an economical conn
bination of stage riding anil pedestrianisrl,
he presented himself at the close of the third
day ut Biggs' door In a few moments he
was in possession of the story; half an hour
later in possession of has the mine, its infe.ix
past and its doubtful future, equally with hi3
friend
Business over, BigSs turned to look at his
partner. you've aged some since saw you
last, b" he said. starvation luck, spo5e. I'D
know your eyes, old fellow, if saw them
among ten thousand; but your lips are
parched, and your mouths grimIner than it
used to be" Thatcher smiled to show that he
could still do so, but did not say, as he might
have said, that self control, suppressed resent
ment, disappointment and occasional hunger
had done something in the way of correcting
natures obvious mistakes and shutting up IA
kindly mouth. He only took off his thread
bare coat, rolled up his sleeves, and saying,
We've got lots of work and some fighting be
fore Us" pitched into the affairs of the Blue
Mass company on the instant